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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

Department Circular 123. 



Bureau of Plant Industry 
(New and Rare Seed Distribution), 

WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief. 



GRIMM ALFALFA. 

Object of the distribution. — The distribution of new and rare seeds has 
for its object the dissemination of new and rare crops, improved strains of 
staple crops, and high-grade seed of crops new to sections where the data of 
the department indicate such crops to be of considerable promise. Each 
package contains a sufficient quantity for a preliminary trial, and where it is 
at all practicable the recipient is urged to use the seed for the production of 
stocks for future plantings. It is believed that if this practice is followed 
consistently, it will result in a material improvement in the crops of the country. 

Please make a full report on the inclosed blank regarding the results you 
obtain with the seed. 

DESCRIPTION. 

According to the account published by the Bureau of Plant In- 
dustry in Bulletin No. 209, Grimm alfalfa was introduced into this 
country in 1857 by Wendelin Grimm, an immigrant from Baden, 
Germany. The original introduction consisted of less than half a 
bushel of seed, which was sown by Mr. Grimm in 1858 on his farm in 
Carver County, Minn. Opinions seem to differ as to the hardiness 
of the original lot of seed. However, its progeny contained many 
individuals which were sufficiently hardy to withstand the severe 
winters to which they were subjected. Careful investigations pretty 
definitely indicate that Grimm alfalfa owes its superior hardiness 
to the facts that it is the result of a natural cross between the com- 
mon variety and the yellow-flowered alfalfa {Medicago falcata) and 
that by virtue of its being exposed to numerous severe winters the 
weaker plants were eliminated, leaving only the hardy ones to per- 
petuate the strain. 

Grimm alfalfa does not differ materially in appearance from the 
ordinary strain, so that the casual observer has difficulty in dis- 
tinguishing one from the other. While a large percentage of its 
flowers are of the same color as those of common alfalfa, there are 
some that represent many shades of violet, yellow, and other hues. 
The taproots show a tendency to branch, and the crowns are inclined to 
be low set and spreading. These characters of the crown are undoubt- 
edly of great importance in rendering a variety resistant to cold, as 
they afford protection to the buds which produce the new shoots. 

Grimm alfalfa is one of the hardiest, if not the most hardy, of our 
commercial strains. It is recommended for the northern portions 
of the Great Plains region and parts of the Northwest where the 
winters are especially severe and where little protection is given by 

186976° — 20 



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2 Department Circular 123, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

snow. In sections where winterkilling is not an important considera- 
tion, it is not thought to be materially superior to common alfalfa, 
and in some cases it is not quite equal to that variety in point of 
yield. It possesses, however, the advantage of starting earlier in 
the spring than common alfalfa, and, as a consequence, usually has 
more moisture upon which to make the first crop. This normally 
insures one good cutting, which is a very important consideration in 
the dry, short-season sections where subsequent cuttings can not be 
depended upon. 

When this variety first began to attract attention its seed was 
produced entirely in Minnesota, but as conditions are not favorable 
for seed production in that State stock seed was sent to Montana and 
other States farther west in order that the available supply might 
be more rapidly increased. Tests of the true variety grown in 
Dakota, Montana, and Idaho indicate that these lots are all of equal 
value and are quite as hardy as those grown in Minnesota. The 
supply of seed has been very limited and the seed has always com- 
manded a high price. For this reason unscrupulous dealers have 
offered for sale large quantities of the seed of common alfalfa under 
the name of Grimm, and on account of this practice it is highly 
desirable that each prospective purchaser take every means possible 
to learn whether seed is true to name before purchasing. 

PREPARATION FOR SEEDING. 

Grimm alfalfa requires practically the same soil and culture as 
ordinary alfalfa, i. e., it requires a fertile soil and a well-prepared 
seed bed. Since spring seeding is usually practiced throughout the 
area discussed in this circular, it is advisable in most cases to plow 
the ground which is to be seeded to alfalfa during the preceding fall, 
leaving it rough in order to hold the snow and prevent blowing. 
One of the chief advantages of fall plowing is that it permits the 
ground to become thoroughly settled before the time of seeding. If 
alfalfa is to be seeded on land that has been in corn or potatoes, plow- 
ing in the fall is not necessary. Such ground can be put into excel- 
lent condition for seeding by thoroughly disking and harrowing in 
the spring. Ground that has been plowed in the fall should be given 
repeated diskings and harrowings in the spring until the subsurface 
has been well settled. This treatment also induces the germination of 
weed seeds and destroys many of the weed seedlings. 

INOCULATION. 

Unless the ground has recently grown alfalfa, it is usually advis- 
able to inoculate it with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This can be done 
by scattering over the area to be seeded soil from a field upon which 
the crop has been previously grown successfully. From 300 to 500 
pounds per acre are usually sufficient and should be harrowed in 
immediately upon application r -to^p«e««^^";umto the germs by the 



Grimm Alfalfa. 3 

action of the sunlight. Another method which is also used is that 
of inoculating the seed with an artificial culture, which can be secured 
free of charge from the United States Department of Agriculture. 
^^ Full directions for use accompany each bottle of the culture. 

SEEDING. 

There is generally no advantage to be gained by seeding alfalfa 
in the section here referred to before the middle of May, and in a 
majority of cases seeding early in June gives entirely satisfactory 
results. 

Whether alfalfa seed should be sown with a nurse crop is a ques- 
tion upon which there is some difference of opinion. In general, 
however, a nurse crop is a detriment and does not furnish the help 
that it is intended to give. The chief advantage of a nurse crop is 
that it is a substitute for weeds, and on land that is very foul its 
use is sometimes advised. Barley is probably the best crop to use 
for this purpose, and in all cases it should be seeded lightly and cut 
for hay rather than for grain. 

The use of the press drill is advised in preference to the broadcast 
method of seeding, since by the use of the drill a uniform stand is 
more certain to be secured. However, if the drill is not available, 
a wheelbarrow seeder or one of similar type can be used quite satis- 
factorily. From 10 to 15 pounds of good seed are ample for sowing 
1 acre and on thoroughly prepared land no advantage is gained by 
using a greater quantity. The seed should be covered evenly, but 
not deeper than 1^ inches in light soil ; in clay soils one-half of this 
depth is sufficient. 

CULTIVATION OF OLD FIELDS. 

There is not sufficient evidence regarding the value of cultivating 
broadcast fields to warrant definite recommendations. However, 
disking and harrowing should be tested thoroughly, leaving in each 
case a portion of the field untreated to serve as a check on the culti- 
vated area. The spike-tooth harrow appears to give good results for 
the first and possibly the second season. After this the use of a disk 
harrow or some type of renovator is probably more satisfactory. 
Severe treatment should not be given, as it injures the crowns of the 
plants and promotes the introduction of disease. 

SEEDING IN ROWS. 

In the region to which this circular applies alfalfa can be grown 
to advantage in cultivated rows either for seed or hay production, 
especially under conditions of low rainfall. For seeding in this man- 
ner the preparation of the seed bed is practically the same as for 
broadcast seeding. The only difference is that the seed is sown in 
rows, preferably 36 to 42 inches apart, rather than in close drills. 
The press drill is probably the best implement for seeding in wide 
rows, since by blocking up certain of the holes it can be made to seed 
in rows the desired distance apart. 



022 265 376 I 

4 Department Circular 123, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

Light rollers, 15 to 18 inches in diameter and approximately 20 
inches long, can be used to follow in the row seeded by the drill in 
order to compact the soil slightly and give the seed the necessary cov- 
ering. These rollers can be made from lumber on the farm and at- 
tached to the drill in a frame. They are much more satisfactory 
than chains or the ordinary press wheels for covering the seed. 
From 1| to 2 pounds of seed are sufficient when drilling in rows 36 
or 42 inches apart, since if the stand is thick in the row, little ad- 
vantage is obtained over the broadcast method of seeding. A thick 
stand can not be easily thinned ; neither can an uneven stand be sat- 
isfactorily remedied. Hence, the desirability of a uniform thin 
stand in the beginning. On land that is inclined to be weedy, a 
small quantity of millet seed should be mixed with the alfalfa seed, 
as the millet seed germinates quickly and marks the rows for the 
first cultivation. Frequent cultivation should be given the field after 
the plants are well started, in order to conserve moisture and to keep 
down the weeds. Until the alfalfa has made a heavy growth the 
weeder can be used to good advantage; after this an ordinary culti- 
vator or weed cultivator is a more satisfactory implement. Care 
should be taken not to ridge the plants any more than is absolute^ 
necessary, flat cultivation being highly desirable. At least three cul- 
tivations are recommended in ordinary seasons. 

The growing of alfalfa in rows does not materially interfere with 
the cutting of the crop for hay, and the farmer who has not tested 
this method will be surprised at the increase in yield over an ordinary 
broadcast field under conditions of low rainfall. For the production 
of seed this method is not only more certain to produce a crop, but 
will invariably give a larger yield than a broadcast stand, since it 
affords better moisture conditions, more light to the individual plant, 
and doubtless other favorable conditions that are not well understood. 

SUGGESTIONS. 

If further information is desired, the following publications, which 
will be mailed by the Department of Agriculture free upon applica- 
tion, discuss in much detail the various subjects contained in this 
circular, and it is suggested that those who are interested apply for 
them at once: Farmers' Bulletins Nos. 339, Alfalfa; 495, Alfalfa Seed 
Production. 

June 8, 1920. 



WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1920 



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